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Francis Ngannou is a Cameroonian-French professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer who is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Francis Ngannou competed in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was the reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion at the time of his departure from the promotion.
He did various odd jobs to make ends meet, until age 26 when he decided to head to Paris, France, to pursue professional boxing.
Francis Ngannou was born Francis Zavier Ngannou on September 5, 1986, and raised in Batié, Cameroon. He lived in poverty and had little formal education growing up.
He did various odd jobs to make ends meet, until age 26 when he decided to head to Paris, France, to pursue professional boxing.
However, upon reaching Europe, he was jailed for two months in Spain for illegally crossing the border. After he came to Paris, he had no money, no friends, and no place to live.
After living homeless on the streets of Paris, Ngannou found his way to a boxing club where he met coach Didier Carmont (cousin of Francis Carmont) who understood his situation.
Carmont convinced the gym to let him train at no cost and introduced Ngannou to the sport of MMA. Additionally, Ngannou became a volunteer at Lo Chorba, a non-profit organization in Paris.
Being a fan of Mike Tyson, Ngannou was originally interested in learning how to box but Lopez saw his potential in MMA and convinced him to try MMA instead.
Lopez gave Ngannou some MMA gear and allowed him to train and sleep at the gym for no cost thus starting Ngannou’s MMA career.
Francis Ngannou started his MMA career in 2013 and joined the UFC in 2015. He became the UFC heavyweight champion in 2021 by knocking out Stipe Miocic in the second round. He left the UFC in 2023 and signed with the Professional Fighters League.
His rematch with Curtis Blaydes, where he stopped Blaydes in 45 seconds with a flurry of punches.
= His first title defense against Ciryl Gane, where he won by a unanimous decision in a close and technical fight.
